Ridgewood, Queens will soon be changing from a manufacturing zoned neighborhood to a residential zone. Community Board 5 voted 28-11 to change the zoning status of the mostly industrial neighborhood located in western Queens. With the change in zoning two new buildings in the area will be permitted to start construction in the area.

The first building will be located at 176 Woodward Avenue, this building will be mixed-use and will include 88 residential units, along with commercial and community spaces. 1901 Starr Street in Ridgewood, Queens, the second building, will also be permitted to begin building and will contain 8 residences.

Melinda Katz, Queens borough president, supported the majority decision to change the zoning of Ridgewood after hearing resident concerns from both sides of the issue. After the meeting, she imposed some of her own conditions to be taken into consideration for the rezoned developments. Katz wants a number of the newly built residences to be the same rate as buildings already in the area.

According to Akerman LLP, the firm that represents the owner of the soon-to-be developed lots, estimated monthly rents to be between $1,000 and $1,800 pending on unit size.

“The overall objectives of the proposed rezoning to rationalize several existing legal nonconforming homes located in the existing M1-1 district,” Katz said, according to the Queens Chronicle, “and to allow redevelopment of two sizable underutilized lots next to the homes would be an improvement in this particular part of Ridgewood.”

Rezoning this western Queens neighborhood is a big deal for the borough. With Williamsburg to the west of Ridgewood and Bushwick to the south, this area is sure to be an emerging neighborhood.

Brooklyn has been going through an evolution of price and population changes, which are attributed to the advancement of gentrification in the area. Ridgewood’s rezoning will now bring this new neighborhood into the fold and shows that the continuation of change, is moving further eastward into the outer boroughs of Manhattan.

The rezoning of Ridgewood could act as a foreshadowing of other developments to occur within adjacent neighborhoods.

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